Catching Up

—Andrew? Didn’t see you there… You finally showed up to my class!—

The way Miss Valeria says my name sounds a bit scary at first, but I think she isn’t really mad at seeing me again, more like surprised. It makes sense, because we left on good terms, but she probably is very worried about what happened to me. I’m glad that she still remembers me, but I don’t actually know what to say. Having her standing so close in front of me makes me a little nervous, and since the whole class is now staring at us, I decide to take this situation lightly.

—Uhhmm, ¿puedo usar el baño per favor? (Can I use the bathroom, please?)—

My spanish is shit, but it seems like my joke still lands. I make Miss Valeria chuckle, and I also try to laugh with her. But instead of just getting a laugh out of her, she gets a bit closer to me. Even though we could leave this conversation for later, it looks like she is very interested in talking to me, right in front of everyone, without realizing that this only makes me more nervous. But I try to remain calm, and just think of funny things to say to not embarrass myself too much.

—What happened to you? Why haven’t you been around?—

—Ah, you know, I was just busy…—

—Really? But you should be more busy studying for school. You’ve dropped in grades quite significantly… and I’ve missed having you in my class…—

Ah, she knows how to embarrass me. Why does she say this? I wish Miss Valeria wouldn’t say this in front of everyone, but I think I deserve it. But to not let it affect me much, I just try to switch the topic so she starts her class. But knowing her, she will probably have a talk with me later.

—Well, I’m just here to study and get those grades up. I can’t wait for your class to start…—

I’m hoping the teacher will finally stop putting me in the spotlight, but she keeps staring at me. I don’t get why she is paying so much attention to me. Perhaps she thinks I’m lying, or that I sounded too passive aggressive, I don’t know. But after a while of awkward staring, she turns around and walks back to the front of the class.

—You have to catch up a lot. But since I’m nice, we’ll do a quick overview of all the contents we’ve seen since you were gone. You need to take notes, so get your notebook out and pay attention—

I nod to Miss Valeria’s orders, a bit relieved that she stopped talking to me, but also turning anxious because I’m sure I will have to write a lot in this class. But I’m willing to do everything to make this class enjoyable, which means catching up to whatever we are learning right now. I know that if I get on Miss Valeria’s side, which I seem to be already in, I can get her to be the sweetest teacher, and maybe even get a reward from her. But I want to go beyond that, surpass myself, and impress her, because I’m truly sorry for missing her class. But I don’t have time to think about it right now, as the teacher is already writing a bunch of words on the blackboard that I don’t understand.

The lesson is fairly simple. We just review old contents, which I remember vaguely, and learn a few new words. They are new to me, but it seems like the rest of the students didn’t remember as well, because they needed Miss Valeria to explain them once or twice. That actually allowed me to write down every word with their own pronunciation and meaning, while also trying to use them in basic sentences. The whole class, the teacher didn’t pay much attention to me, but that’s because she knew I was too focused on taking notes. She was kind enough to ask me once or twice if I understood what she was saying, and even though I didn’t, I said yes.

Overall, the class was just like I remembered, short, a bit hard, but kind of chill. We didn’t even do any exercises, we just wrote down a bunch of words for the next class. It actually ended so quickly, that I was still writing the last set of words when the bell rang. I look around to see that everyone is already leaving, they probably couldn’t take more spanish in their brains. I’m still a bit confused with a few words, but it’s not worth it to ask the teacher for help, I can just look them up later at home. But before I leave the classroom, I notice that Miss Valeria is talking to her daughter, who just walked in the classroom to talk to her.

Miss Valeria’s daughter, Camila, is pretty much just like her. She is like a younger version of her mother, which means that she is hot, blonde, and that strong latina personality. But she is quite different from her mother in her behavior. I don’t want to get into too much detail about it, since I’ve never even talked to Camila, but I can tell that she doesn’t want to be like her mother, for some strange reason. I mean, who doesn’t want to be like Miss Valeria. Anyways, after watching them talk a little, I remember that I need to ask about the upcoming exams to Miss Valeria, so I approach them casually, trying not to interrupt their conversation.

—Hey, Miss. Sorry for not coming to class for such a long time. I’m trying my best to get back into studying, I promise I’ll do well in your class—

—Don’t worry about that, I know you will. I saw you concentrating a lot during this class, and I must say, you seem very committed…—

—Yea, I am…—

—But that’s not going to be enough…—

—Wait, really?—

—Yes, you still need to learn a lot in a short amount of time. But I believe you can do it…—

Miss Valeria has always shown a lot of trust in me, and I can tell she genuinely believes in me. I don’t know if she thinks I’m smart, but the way she looks at me tells me that I will somehow end up at the top of her class. Although, she does tell me that it will take more than a bit of focus and homework, which I already knew. However, I’m ready to put in the work, and it seems like she can also help me with catching up to her class.

—If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask me. You know I’m here to help you in anything you need…—

—Thanks, I appreciate it—

—But, if you need some help with homework or research, maybe you could ask Camila for some help. I’m sure she would be eager to help you…—

I take a glance at Camila, who is standing next to me, staring at me awkwardly. A small silence forms, nobody says anything, not even Miss Valeria, who usually doesn’t know how to shut up. Something tells me that Camila won’t like to help me with this class. But to not be rude, I **** a smile, which only makes things more awkward. But fortunately, Miss Valeria draws Camila’s attention, so I don’t have to stare at her anymore. And while they talk, I take my opportunity to just get out of here and go to recess.

—Alright, thanks for the advice. I’ll do everything to pass this class, see ya!—

I don’t even wait for Miss Valeria to respond, I just run out of the classroom. And now that I have recess again, I’m not actually sure what I should do. After the last recess, I now have the chance to plan my **** against my bullies, but I think I’ll wait for another day to do that. I actually need to talk to more people, mainly because I’m planning to enter a club as well for another part of my plan. But the only person that can introduce me to other people is Sunny, so I better find her to see if I can make more friends…